How to refresh/reload Desktop

Question

I have a WPF C# project in which I\'m implementing settings for Windows folder options. One of them is \"Single-click to open an item\" (instead of double-click). When I cha

Answer 1

If you would have posted the code to change that setting, I would have tested it against the following suggestions before replying.

Have you tried:

1) Removing the statement if (itemName == "Windows Explorer") from the above code, so it refreshes every window (including the desktop)?

2) Broadcasting a WM_SETTINGCHANGE via SendMessage WIN32 API?

private const int HWND_BROADCAST = 0xffff;
private const int WM_WININICHANGE = 0x001a, WM_SETTINGCHANGE = 0x001a, INI_INTL = 1;
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern int SendMessage(int hWnd, uint wMsg, uint wParam, uint lParam);

SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_SETTINGCHANGE, 0, INI_INTL);

[Credit]

3) IActiveDesktop.ApplyChanges

[ComImport]
[Guid("F490EB00-1240-11D1-9888-006097DEACF9")]
[InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]
public interface IActiveDesktop
{
     [PreserveSig]
     int ApplyChanges(AD_Apply dwFlags);
     // [...]
     // Note: There is a lot more to this interface,
     //        please see PInvoke.net link below.
}
private const int AD_APPLY_REFRESH = 4;

IActiveDesktop.ApplyChanges(AD_APPLY_REFRESH);

[PInvoke.net - IActiveDesktop]

If these do not work, let me know. If it comes down to it, it is possible to save all the open explorer windows & their positions, terminate explorer, wait for explorer to restart, re-open each explorer window and re-position them... if that would acceptable.

Hope this helps.